If there is one subject that any weight loss organization doesn’t want to talk about, it’s gaining weight. It’s an unfortunate reality for some of us, and it’s not one we are proud of. Why is it that we feel like a complete failure when we gain a pound or two? Most of the time, we know why it happens: i.e., the 2 pieces of pizza we ate, the 2 glasses of wine, the ice cream we devoured. We know when we are doing it that it is wrong, at the time, we don’t care. It’s afterward that we feel the guilt. For that moment, we give up what we want the most, for what we want at that minute.

Now we are in no way telling you that it’s ‘ok’ to gain, that is definitely not part of our program, we are just letting you know that if it happens, how to deal with it. Consistent gains are not what we are referring to. We are talking about mere “snaccidents”, not full binges.

Behavioral Medicine reports that you’re most tempted to stray from a healthy eating plan when:

It’s late at night

You’re tired

Alcohol is involved

You’re hanging out with friends.

Sound familiar? It may be impossible to completely avoid these things, but it’s good to be aware. Also, just because a food is considered “healthy”, it doesn’t mean you can eat an unhealthy amount of it.

Do you feel like you are angry at yourself for being “weak” and caving to your cravings? Do you feel like you have failed yet again? -Accept it. You did it, own it. Don’t beat yourself up, but rather just move on. You are human. You make mistakes. Yes, we all do. Failure? Not so much. Quit being so hard on yourself.

Pick yourself up and let us help you get back on track! You can’t change the past. Focus on what is within your control–today and the future. With our help, you can do it. The key is accountability.

If you haven’t seen us in months, and don’t want to come back because you have gained, please do. Come back, you could use our help now more than ever. No judgement…just get back on track. You’ll be glad you did! Our goal has always been to help you reach yours!

When you decide to live a healthier lifestyle and talk to us about wanting to lose weight, we discuss the nutritional aspect of the types of foods in order to help you choose a weight loss program to fit your goals. We further recommend that you set a plan for your meals as a way to more easily stay on task and get to your goals.

One aspect of dieting that we would like to emphasize is setting aside a day to plan ahead for your week’s meals. This includes getting groceries for the week (preferably) from the list of foods that we recommend), prepping the necessary items to make the meals, and cooking ALL of the food needed for the week. If you have 12 containers, you can lay it all out and partition each meal in each container. Since we often recommend eating 2 large meals a day, you can plan ahead for the other 6 days of the week.

The 9 days meal plan that we prescribed consists of larger meal portions. Depending on if you are taking the diet medications (phentermine, or Adipex) for weight loss, your caloric goal may be 800-1300 calories a day split into 2 large meals. If you are on the HCG injection rapid weight loss program, your calorie goal may be around 600 calories a day, which is also split into 2 large meals. Even at 300 calories per meal, the meal consists of a larger serving of meats (4 oz of chicken, 10 oz of vegetables, and 2 large glass of water) to keep you full since you will be eating leaner cuts of meats and fill the tank with plenty of vegetables and water.

So what does meal prepping look like? It takes effort, but you get what you put into it– in the end, it helps you get a step closer to your goal.

Have all the ingredients laid out

Lots of lean meats and tons of vegetables

Have all your ingredients laid out — lots of lean meats and tons of vegetables.

Preparing all the asparagus and broccoli in aluminum foil for grilling.

Summer squash makes another flavorful side dish. It will serve as a rice/potato/bread substitute.

Roasting sliced tomatoes on a pan and simmering thinly cut beef.

Setting shrimp on the skewers and have chicken tenderloins marinated and ready to grill with several lean burgers.

Shrimp and chicken take no time on the grill.

400 calorie meal

Another 400 calorie meal

This is what a 300 calories meal look like

Overall, the entire process of getting groceries, prepping food, cooking, storing, and cleaning up took 6 hours to make 14 meals for 1 person. But this small sacrifice means that you are done for the week and one step closer to being a better you.

As the summer is winding down, it’s common for us who live in a four season climate to subtly change our lifestyles in negative ways, sometimes regressing to the point of starting over. Whether its reducing our physical activity due to less enjoyable weather, or eating more in response to the chilly temperatures; these behaviors feel natural but contribute to the all-to-common cyclical nature of weight loss/gain. While they may feel natural, it is important to remember that we are not bears, and therefore do not require preparations for hibernation.

There are some things we can do to counter these tendencies however; such as recommitting to calorie counting, or finding new ways to exercise indoors (wherever your schedule permits). Also keep in mind that certain types of foods will have different effects on your appetite, which becomes increasingly important as the seasons are accompanied by certain stables like pies, cookies, cakes, and other assorted sweets. It’s the sugar in these foods that creates the terrible feedback loop of insulin spikes and crashes and their associated cravings. Additionally much of this food is lacking in sufficient amounts of protein to satisfy you appetite.

Now may also be the perfect time to find a gym or start a new exercise routine, finding ways to stay active and engaged with fitness will no doubt help you stave off the consequences of having less time to walk or play outdoors.

Whatever you do, I implore you to take in mind what your goals are for yourself, and if you’ve already made progress hold on to it and don’t let the change of seasons throw you off track. There is no need to wait until the New Year to recommit to getting healthy, keep focused year round; count your calories, move as much as possible, and always remember that weight loss is a marathon rather than a sprint, just keep plodding forward and you will get there.

I recently stumbled across a video that immediately brought to mind a myriad of questions that get brought up by our weight loss patients. While we tend to focus on calorie counting during consultations, we often don’t have the chance to really dig into too much detail different types of foods. While there are many reasons that most of our food suggestions are “whole foods,” (by which I mean meals for which you buy ingredients and prepare yourself) the most important reason is the accuracy with which you can count calories.

As the following video, originally posted by the NY Times and author Casey Neistat, shows nutritional content labels on prepackaged foods are notoriously inaccurate. Using apps and journals is only as effective as the information that you input, so be careful as you count your calories and remember, if the nutritional content seems too good to be true, and you didn’t weigh out the ingredients yourself, there is a good chance that it is in fact not true.

Full credit to Author Casey Neistat and the NY Times Opdocs for the video content.

I don’t want this information to induce a calorie counting panic attack for our more meticulous patients, just be aware that if you want the tightest possible control over you Calories In/ Calories Out ratio, you will be better served making your own foods. Also, if you are trying your best and not seeing progress you might want to take a closer look at the details of the food you are consuming, you may actually be eating more than you think, and that’s not necessarily your fault.

Elevation Medical Weight Loss in Weirton is helping to support the annual Energy Express School Supply Drive. Energy Express is a summer reading and feeding program that is held in over 75 locations throughout West Virginia for approximately 6 weeks to strengthen children’s reading and writing skills. This year, the Weirton site is holding a school supply drive for the children in the community. Bags of donated school supplies can be dropped off directly at the Weirton Elementary School or to our clinic before 1 PM Friday July 21st.

Items the kids need include:

Crayons

Pencils

Markers

Pens

Notebooks

Deodorant

Combs

Loose Leaf Paper

Toothbrushes

Body Wash

Hand Sanitizer

Binders

Shampoo

Folders

We will drop of the donated supplies to be distributed on Saturday July 22nd from 10 AM until all supplies have been distributed at the Weirton Elementary School. We would like to thank everyone for their support and generosity.